1,200 may attend Reno Entrepreneur Expo during eWeek

As many as 1,200 people are expected to attend the fourth annual Entrepreneur Expo in the grand ballroom of the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa on March 12.

That would mark a 20 percent increase in attendance over last year for the event, the centerpiece of a busy slate of activities during the eWeek sponsored by Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Dave Archer, the chief executive officer of NCET, says he expects that attendance will rise as people who have lost corporate jobs or worry about their future look for entrepreneurial options.

The free event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes about 100 exhibitors. They include government agencies that work with entrepreneurs as well as companies large and small that provide services to start-up companies.

Seminars on subjects ranging from sales to accounting to technology for small businesses also will run through the expo. One of the seminar sessions will focus on the needs of home-based businesses.

Other activities scheduled during eWeek include:

* The Nevada Interactive Media Summit on March 6 at the University of Nevada, Reno. The event will include sessions on interactive media tools, best practices and innovation.

* The Reno Gazette Journal Entrepreneur of the Year awards banquet March 8 at the Atlantis. A panel of nominated entrepreneurs will discuss their experiences during a lunchtime event at the Entrepreneur Expo on March 12.

* A leaders lunch on capital markets and intellectual property sponsored by Sierra Capital Resources. Two sessions March 9 and March 11 are scheduled.

* An open house with questions and answers about start-up ventures sponsored by SilverSky Group on March 9.

* NCET's Tech Wednesday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. March 10 at Amendment 21 in downtown Reno.

* An orientation to business ownership workshop sponsored by SCORE on March 11 at UNR.

* An all-day marketing seminar, "Million Dollar Marketing Ideas on a Zero Dollar Budget," on March 13 at Morrison University. Archer says the seminar will focus on no-cost ideas that business owners can put to use immediately in their own operations.

* A workshop on the prevention of common mistakes in QuickBooks taught by QuickBooks advisor Marie Gibson at Morrison University on March 16.

NCET is an independent nonprofit it's not funded by the state government that serves as a clearinghouse for information for entrepreneurs statewide.

A Web site, www.eweeknevada.com/2010-eweek-reno, provides information on reservation and scheduled events during eWeek and the Entrepreneur Expo.